


Protection

by tofsla



Category: Oniisama E
Genre: Alternate Universe - Trans, Dysphoria, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-04 23:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tofsla/pseuds/tofsla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Kaoru is a trans woman and Rei is none of the above. Character study ficlet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protection

**Author's Note:**

> This story has an accompanying piece of art by Bienenwolf [here](http://bienenwolf.tumblr.com/post/41459926073/hmm-rei-says-kaoru-watches-reis-reflection), & is in its turn inspired by [this](http://bienenwolf.tumblr.com/post/25923689649/i-reject-oniisama-e-canon-in-favour-of-my-original) preexisting piece of art, also by Bienenwolf. The circle is complete.

“Hold still,” Rei breathes. Kaoru feels Rei’s laughter, doesn’t hear it; a silent brush of air against her neck, a suggestion of movement through Rei’s body, pressed against her back. “Or don’t you want it to sit right?”

“I’d rather it was a bit more solid and less lace,” Kaoru says, tries not to look at her chest, too flat, nothing to fill out the form of the bra yet. She’s still feeling shaken, it’s hard to sit still. “This isn’t going to work. Rei…”

“It’s going to work great,” Rei says. “We’re about the same. Just don’t run too fast.” Snaps the catch into place again, snug over Kaoru’s breastbone. Slides hands under the too-thin fabric of the bra, presses, adjusts, shockingly careful. Kaoru closes her eyes against it - not from discomfort, not precisely, not entirely. At least partly from surprise at her own reaction, uncertainty as to what to do with it, the warm feeling gathering itself low in her stomach. She holds Rei’s words carefully in her mind, _we’re about the same_ , like some kind of promise. 

“Told you so,” Rei murmurs, still laughing, but hir fingers move in gentle circles against Kaoru’s sides, the joke isn’t Kaoru. Not like that, never about this. Not even on bad days — and it seems like this is a good one. She daren’t guess what the joke _is_ , though. “Better on you than me.”

Kaoru opens her eyes again, and a half-dozen reflections of herself look critically back at her from dusty, tarnished mirrors. 

“I’ll pass,” she says eventually, begins to relax back against Rei; “thanks.”

They’re meant to be in school right now, it’s only lunch break; if they hurry back there won’t be too many questions for her. And there are never any questions for Rei. 

“Mm, so unimpressed,” Rei says. “Weren’t you even thinking about your delicate condition when you let your fan club push you in a fountain?”

Kaoru manages a small laugh. “Not enough, apparently. And one of the first years was in my locker the other day…”

“Hmm,” Rei says. Kaoru watches Rei’s reflection, how close her mouth still is to Kaoru’s neck, curling again in amusement. “I heard the other day that you’ve had cancer,” Rei whispers. “People love stories, but they’re not clever…”

“I wonder,” Kaoru says. She can be as flippant as Rei about every other kind of rumour, but just this one is sensitive. What would she say if someone asked right out? Kaoru no kimi, what’s wrong with your chest?

“Now, should I find a shirt for her ladyship, or is it better to go to school half naked than to look refined?” Rei says, and that’s good, it’s a provocation Kaoru can deal with, rise to.

“You’re insufferable,” she says, and grins as Rei comes back to drape a shirt across her shoulders with an exagerated, sweeping bow.

“I’ve heard,” Rei says, and then, “let me.”

“And you aren’t as attractive as you think you are, either,” Kaoru says, and hardly even minds that her voice betrays her lie as Rei’s hands brush against her skin, fastening buttons and tugging deftly at fabric with nicotine-stained fingers.


End file.
